forcewhether

Forcewhether is a theoretical operator used in logic and computer science to model the enforced selection between alternatives based on a boolean condition. The term combines 'force' and 'whether' to indicate that the outcome is compelled to reflect the truth of a predicate, rather than chosen freely by the surrounding context. In its simplest form, forcewhether(P, A, B) yields A if P is true and B if P is false, with additional constraints on evaluation order and side effects to ensure determinism and controllable effects.

Formal definition: Let P be a proposition, and A and B be expressions with possible side effects. The forcewhether operator evaluates P, then selects and executes A or B accordingly. Unlike traditional conditionals, forcewhether emphasizes the commitment to the chosen branch, potentially suppressing or isolating the alternative branch’s effects.

Origins and usage: Emerged in discussions of control-flow semantics and effect management in languages with advanced control operators (delimited continuations, algebraic effects). As a modeling device, forcewhether helps reason about forced outcomes in de facto decision processes.

Applications: modeling safety-critical decision logic, formal verification of protocols, and experimental language designs to handle side effects.

Examples: forcewhether(isAuthorized(user), grantAccess(), denyAccess()) — if authorized, grantAccess executes; otherwise denyAccess.

Related concepts: conditional operator, short-circuit evaluation, forced choice, deontic logic, deterministic evaluation.

Etymology: from English 'force' and 'whether'.